Obama to stay mum on Keystone pipeline in State of the Union, and more must-reads

President Barack Obama will lay out an agenda on jobs, the economy and the environment when he gives his State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, but he isn’t likely to mention the Keystone XL oil pipeline, Reuters reports. That project is in limbo while the U.S. State Department finalizes an environmental review. Republicans have suggested tying approval of the project to agreeing to increase the U.S. debt ceiling.

Jason Collins, the first NBA player to come out as openly gay, will be among the guests in First Lady Michelle Obama’s viewing box when President Obama gives the State of the Union address, the White House said early Monday. Other guests will include 16-year-old Joey Hudy, who is Intel’s youngest intern, and two survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing. The Hill says the list suggests Obama could address social issues and education among other things in his speech.

Plenty of people will be tweeting during the big speech on Tuesday night, but not Rep. Steve Cohen. The Tennessee Democrat said Sunday (via — what else? — Twitter) that he won’t be tweeting during the State of the Union. During last year’s address, Cohen tweeted then deleted a message to a young woman about how glad he was she was watching, and that he loved her. As recounted by Politico, Cohen said the college-age woman was a daughter he’d just learned of. It turned out she wasn’t Cohen’s daughter.

President Obama won’t appear on a single ballot in this fall’s midterm elections. Still, as the Washington Post writes, there’s no doubt many voters will make their decisions with Obama in mind. “As things are shaping up now,” the Post concludes, “that’s not good news for Democrats.”

Time has a video with interest groups and lobbyists giving quick pitches for what Obama should or shouldn’t say in the State of the Union. Among them: Apologize for Obamacare, and back an “economic populist agenda.” Watch the video here.